Monday, October 3, 2011

Pinataland - Hymns For A Dreadful Night

Pinataland – Hymns
For A Dreadful Night
2011, Mekkatone Records

Pinataland is not your typical band.Primary songwriters Doug Stone and David
Wechsler has been writing and playing together since 1999, creating a
distinctive Americana sound while focusing on characters drawn from American
history and legend.Supported by
talented musicians such as Robin Aigner (vocals); Bill Gerstel (drums); Deni
Bonet (violin); Gerald Menke (pedal steel); and producer/multi-instrumentalist
Ross Bonadonna, Pinataland has received airplay and accolades from NPR’s “All
Things Considered”, New Yorker magazine
and All Music Guide.Pinataland returns in 2011 with their third
album, Hymns For A Dreadful Night,
focusing on one dark and gloomy night, with historical figures appearing to
tell their tales.

Pinataland opens with “The Dreadful Night”, a paean to a
time before electricity when the night hours closed around people like a
smothering cloak and imagination ran wild.The song is played as a halting hymn, part prayer for protection and
part vigilance.It’s an intriguing
folk/pop opener that gets your attention.“Island Of Godless Men” is based on the perceptions of Dutchman Jasper
Danckaerts upon his visit to Brooklyn in 1670.The smoking, drinking and carrying on of its residents had Danckaerts
seeing the impending end of the world, an upbeat lamentation that becomes a
manic celebration of an end day that didn’t come.“An American Man” honors Thomas Paine, who in
spite of the fame of his works today, died penniless and practically unknown.This is an intriguing number about changing perceptions
and changes of heart.

“The Death Of Silas Deane” is about the intrigue and tragedy
of Deane’s death.A continental
congressman who helped fund the American Revolution with French Loans, Deane
fell victim to the intrigues of politics and internal affairs.The song is well written, and the Stephane
Grappelli-style violin work gives it a whirling, dancing feel that’s
infectious.Pinataland continues to
write songs steeped in history and intrigue, but the music at this point begins
to fade into a nominal phase where it’s more structure for the stories than
intriguing in its own right.The
stories, however, are interesting enough on their own to hold the day.“The Oldest Band In Town” in a tale of murder
and intrigue set in The Bowery, while “Border Guard” frets over meeting the
challenges of a new era.“Hiawatha” is a
solid cover of the Laurie Anderson tune that’s full of Americana
references.Pinataland closes with “Cemetary
Mink”, visiting the corpses of George Washington boxer Jack Johnson and Marilyn
Monroe, and offers interesting perspectives that look both forward and back.

Pinataland intrigues with their storytelling on Hymns For A Dreadful Night, but the
music often takes back seat to the stories.It’s a compelling listen, but there’s too much musical talent here for
the final product.Stone and Wechsler
have an impressive supporting cast; one they could have made much better use
of.Still, Hymns For A Dreadful Night is compelling whether you’re a student
of history, or just love a good tale.